Buck poles evidence of early hunter successes

GAYLORD - Amidst the fog and residual snow, lucky hunters across the area were filling their deer tags on Wednesday, the opening day of Michigan's rifle deer season.

Biologists working at the deer check station Department of Natural Resources' (DNR) office on M-32 reported that by 4 p.m. Wednesday, 24 deer had been brought in by hunters wishing to have their deer tested for diseases and to receive their 2006 "Successful Hunter" patch. That number was average for that time of day on the opener.

Check station workers could not yet determine whether any of the deer were bovine tuberculosis (TB)- or chronic wasting disease (CWD)-positive. To determine if a deer is infected with TB or CWD, the deer's head is removed and sent to the Wildlife Disease Lab at Michigan State University where it is checked for the diseases. By 1 p.m. Friday, an estimated 100 deer had come through the station.

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Deer check stations also aid the DNR in determining how many deer are harvested each year.

On opening morning, DNR wildlife biologist Brian Mastenbrook sat in the Black River Swamp in the Pigeon River Forest to record the number of shots fired in the area during the first hour of the season. During the hour that followed the first shot at 7:12 a.m., he counted only 15 shots - well below the average of 43.

"The number of hunters and camps was right on average," said Mastenbrook, who counted 88 cars and 60 camps in the Forest. He added that the fog and limited visibility may have contributed to the fewer gunshots heard.

Hunters heading into the woods this weekend can expect mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 30s. North-northwest winds are expected to blow around 10 mph. with a chance of snow showers each day, according to the National Weather Service in Gaylord.